IS liaison killed in Sulu clash
Government troops on Friday killed a suspected liaison officer of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in a clash in Patikul town in Sulu province, the Army reported on Saturday.
Major Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu, confirmed the death of Talha Jumsah, also known as “Abu Talha,” an alleged IS liaison to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
The ASG rebels supposedly clashed with soldiers from the Army’s 1st Scout Ranger Battalion in the sub-village of Tubig Amu in Barangay Tanum, around 7:15 a.m. on Friday.
Vinluan said Abu Talha is a “high-value target” of the military in Sulu.
He is reportedly an IS-trained improvised explosive device expert who served as an instructor to the ASG in the fabrication of “more lethal and destructive” bombs, according to the military.
Abu Talha’s cadaver was reportedly recovered in follow-up operations by elements of the Army’s 1101st Infantry Brigade at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, about 800 meters from the clash site.
